Velocipedes on a single track



drilled guarra anni dimite.

JOHN H. IRWIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters .Patent No. 89,584, dated May 4, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MODE OF GUIDING- VELOCIPEDES ON .A SINGLE TRACK TheSchedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making parl: of thelame.

To all whom Iit may conce/m Be it known that I, JOHN H. IRWIN,ofPhiladelpbia, in the county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulMode of OontrollingOarriages Upon a Single Track; and I do hercby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in whichi Figure l is a side elevation ofan apparatus exhibiting my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan of the same.

Figure 3 is a front elevation ofthe same.

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the adjustable boxes.'

Figure 5 representscarriages constructed for conveyance of goods orpassengers, and controlled b v the same means.

In this specification I employ the terms bicycle v and velocipede in aconventional sense, and for' couvenience only, and by those terms Iintend to be understood as referring to any vehicle or carriage with twoor more wheels arranged in a single plane, so that one follows in thetrack of another', and propelled by any available power, whether thesame be mechanical or animal.

' This invention relates to a bicycle-velocipede, adapted to run upon a`track composed of a single rail; and V It consists in mechanical meansprovided to enable the rider to insure his balance while unable to varythe direction ofthe line of progression.

Hitherto, the rider ou a bicycle-velocipede could only maintain theequilibrium of his body by moving the same from side to side, lor byvarying the line of progressiou from side to side, as may be necessaryto restore said equilibrium. That is to say, when the riders bodyinclines to one side, so asto remove the centre of gravity toward oneside of the line of bearing upon 'the ground, said line is shifted so asto be again beneath the" centre of gravity, by changing the direction ofthe steering-wheel.

This operation of balancing is well understood, but is manifestlyimpossible if the vehicle is coniined to a single lineof progression,as-would be the case in running upon a single rail or track. `Itherefore apply a mechanical auxiliary, by means of which the rider maymaintain his equilibrium without moving his seat; and this mechanicalauxiliary consists,

. First, in a counter-weight under control of the rider,

I which may be projected on one side of the line of progression when theweight of the rider inclines to the opposite side; and

Second, in the power of a lever, in addition to the counter-weight abovereferred to. v

Mechanically, the counter-weight might be applied as in thebalancing-pole of a rope-dancer, but practically that mode ofapplication is notfeasible, because of the space which it would berequired to occupy. I have therefore placed my counter-weight upon thesame track, and upon independent wheels, but connected to the mainbicycle by a connection which places the vertical position of saidcounterpoise under control of the rider.

From the above, it will be understood that I do not limit myself to anyparticular mode of applying the mechanical counterpoise, which shallenable the rider to maintain his equilibrium without moving his body forthat purpose, but I describe and show in this pateut only the elementsof a mode which experiment has convinced me to be the most satisfactory.

Having now set forth the nature and principle of pede.

The cranks E E form the means of connection between the propelling-powerand the driving-wheel of the velocipede, For the purpose of beingpropelled upon a single rail, as upon a railroad-rail, the wheels shouldall be flanged on both sides.

The countexpoise in this case is represented in the small truck F,mounted on wheels similar to thc wheels A B. This truck travels upoutherail or track pursued by the main bicycle, and preferably in advancethereof, as shown.

The small truck F is connected to the main bicycle by the connecting-rodG, which is provided with suitable joints at each of its ends, and alsoa swivel. at one end, so that it mayfreely conform to all possiblechanges in therelative positions of the two carriages.

The rear end of the connecting-rod G is provided with a hand-lever, H,by means of which the rod Gr is controlled, andthe equilibrium4 of theapparatus maintained, and the mode and principle of the operation of theoouuterpoise-truck F will be fully and clearly understood by referenceto fig. 3, in which are shown the relative positions of the velocipedeand the counterpoise-truck when the equilibrium of the former isdisturbed by an inclination to one side.

This action ot' the counterpoise F is under control of the rider, whothus counteracts a tendency of his own body to fall over to one side.

When the wind chances to be favorable, the small sail I may be employed,andsteam-power may also be used, if desired, to propel the vehicle.

Fig. represents a train of carriages connected and controlled in themanner and upon the principles of the apparatus herein described. Thepropelling-power is not shown in lig. 5, but the same may be mechanimyinvention, I will particularly describe the-construe tion of avelocipede to which it is applied in a practi cal, a`,nd applied inadvance, upon the same track, or it may be located Withinone of thecarriages, or it may be animal power, applied in the usual Way.

The lever at the top ofthe carriages not only forms the connectionbetiveem them, but enables the steersman to control the relativepositions of the carriages, which, in this case, act as counter-Weightsfor each other.

It will not be necessary, in a case like this latter, for the person whocontrols the equilibrium of the several carriages, to be located uponthe top, or even upon one of the carriages at all, as, by means of theconmeeting-rods and levers, he may well maintain their equilibrium if heis standing or walking upon the ground.

Having now described the principle and operation of my invention,

XVhat I claim as new, is-

A velocipede, connected with a truck, acting as a counter-weight, as setforth, to operate under control of the rider, as described.

' J. H. IRWIN.

Witnesses:

R. D, O. SMITH, E. W. B. PHILLIP.

